🔒The snow must go on: Milder winters take toll on snowmobiling in northern Maine

In a good year, snowmobiling adds more than $700 million to Maine’s economy. Recently, that number has dropped to less than $600 million as milder winters take their toll on the seasonal sport. That’s prompting some rural businesses to diversify their revenue streams. “The last few years have been rough because of Mother Nature,” says Tammie Lerman, owner of the Long Lake Inn in the rural Aroostook County town of St. Agatha. The inn, which has been in her family since it was built in the 1990s, is a draw for winter tourists. This year, “the phone has been ringing since we have snow,” she says. Broadening its offerings beyond a single season, the inn now generates greater revenues in July and August, she says. While snowmobilers typically stay from Thursday to Sunday, many summer visitors will come for an entire week to research their family history or similar, she notes.

Ice fishing and snowmobiling clubs

Elsewhere in the area, the annual Long Lake Fishing Derby draws thousands of fishermen every January who book a year in advance, according to Beth Martin, director of the Greater Fort Kent Area Chamber of Commerce. As for snowmobiling’s impact on the local economy, “I think if we continue to get snow, we can have a good economic boom,” the Airbnb owner says. Happy about a late December snowfall that added eight to 10 inches, Martin says the lack of the white stuff has been more common in recent years.

‘Tease’ of a season

In the Penobscot County town of Glenburn, Barry Ryan belongs to about 20 snowmobile clubs across the state and was named Snowmobiler of the Year by the Maine Snowmobile Association in 2025 for his contributions to the sport. “Without snow, a lot of businesses wouldn’t make it through the winter,” he says. He finds this season to be a bit of a “tease,” with promising early snow and cold weather giving way to melts and rain that have put a damper on sledding and other pursuits. “On a scale of one to 10, we’re probably a five,” he says. As vice president for his local snowmobiling club, Ryan helps promote the sport to fellow enthusiasts. “Our three main goals are to maintain safe trails, make sure landowner relations are good and to get young people involved in snowmobiling,” he says.